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How Twin Sisters Ran for Different Parties Without Fighting Each Other

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Updated: 10:43 AM EST Nov 24, 2018

How Twin Sisters Ran for Different Parties Without Fighting Each Other

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Updated: 10:43 AM EST Nov 24, 2018

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WEBVTT SOLEDAD: WHEN TWO SISTERS FROM MICHIGAN DECIDED TO BOTH RUN FOR POLITICAL OFFICE IN THE MIDTERMS, IT MADE NATIONAL HEADLINES. NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE SISTERS. BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE TWINS. AND FROM DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTIES. WHEN I SPOKE TO MONICA SPARKS AND JESSICA ANNE TYSON BEFORE THE ELECTION, THEY WERE BOTH CONFIDENT OF VICTORY. BUT ONLY ONE WAS SUCCESSFUL. MONICA, A DEMOCRAT, WAS ELECTED A KENT COUNTY COMMISSIONER FOR DISTRICT 12. STILL, THESE SISTERS SAY THEY WON'T LET THEIR POLITICS DIVIDE THEIR FAMILY. WELCOME, LADIES. SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. SOLEDAD: MONICA, THE DEMOCRAT. WE PUT YOU ON THE LEFT OF ME. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SOLEDAD: JESSICA ANNE, WE PUT YOU ON THE RIGHT AS A REPUBLICAN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR OUTFITS. VERY HELPFUL TO EVERYONE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO'S WHO, SINCE YOU EACH TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT TACT IN YOUR BIOS. HOW DO YOUR POLITICS DIFFER? >> SO, I AM A PROUD DEMOCRAT. I LOVE SAYING THAT I STAND WITH THE PARTY OF L.B.J., J.F.K., M.L.K., CIVIL RIGHTS, AND LIBERTY FOR ALL. BUT SHE'S GOING TO TELL YOU THE SAME THING. >> ABSOLUTELY, I AM. ABSOLUTELY. OUR PARENTS RAISED US TO BE PRO-CONSTITUTION. WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY. TOGETHER, I WOULD SAY THAT WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY. SOME THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, WE BOTH AGREE, YOU KNOW, AREN'T NECESSARILY THE WAY THINGS. BUT WE BELIEVE IN AMERICA. WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON THE PLANET. SOLEDAD: WHEN YOUR SISTER CRITICIZES TRUMP, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF BLACK REPUBLICANS, PERCENTAGE-WISE IN THE COUNTRY, IS THAT A PROBLEMATIC CRITICISM FOR YOU? >> IT'S FAIR. I WANT TO SAY THIS. THAT I BELIEVE THAT AS A REPUBLICAN, AS A REPUBLICAN I AM PROUD OF MY PARTY. SOLEDAD: YOU GUYS TALK ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD A LOT. AND IT WAS VERY ROUGH. YOUR MOM WAS AN ADDICT. THERE WAS A POINT WHERE YOU WERE SEPARATED. YOU WENT TO DIFFERENT FAMILIES TO BE CARED FOR BEFORE YOU CAME BACK TOGETHER. TO BE ADOPTED. YOU'VE SAID THAT THAT SEPARATION WAS VERY, VERY PAINFUL AND THAT SOMETIMES YOU GET THAT SAME FEELING POLITICALLY. HOW DO YOU MEAN? >> WE DO. THIS HAS BEEN VERY ROUGH FOR US. I WANT TO GO BACK TO ADDRESSING WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT BEING A BLACK REPUBLICAN. I AS HER SISTER HAVE TO LISTEN THINGS THAT PEOPLE SAY, OH, SHE'S A COON, SHE'S AN UNCLE TOM. ALL THE THINGS -- JEMINA -- JEMIMA. ALL THE THINGS THEY'RE UPSET SHE CHOOSES TO BE PART OF THAT PARTY. THIS IS A DEMOCRACY. WE DO LIVE IN AMERICA. SO, I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO STOP PEOPLE AGAINST PEOPLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND MANY DAYS WHY SHE IS A REPUBLICAN. AND UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION. I DO UNDERSTAND -- >> YOU KNOW WHY, CISSY. I'M A REPUBLICAN UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION BECAUSE I WAS A REPUBLICAN UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. I WAS A REPUBLICAN UNDER THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. >> I'M A REPUBLICAN. I CAN'T SEPARATE BEING A REPUBLICAN FROM BEING THE PRESIDENT. HE HAPPENS TO BE IN POWER. SO IF HE IS THE ONE IN POWER, OK, GREAT. I'M GOING TO TRY TO ADVANCE ALL OF THOSE REPUBLICAN CAUSES. BUT IF -- >> THE MAJORITY. THE ONES I AGREE WITH. HOW ABOUT THAT? >> OK, OK. SOLEDAD: DO YOU GUYS HAVE FIGHTS IN THE FAMILY? >> OH, GOLLY. SOLEDAD: HOW MANY? DOES IT GET UGLY? >> YEAH. KIND OF -- YEAH. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT. OUR MOM NEVER ALLOWED US TO ARGUE. SPIRITED DEBATES AND IF WE DISAGREED, WE HAD TO GET SOMETHING CALLED THE ENSINGEPEEDIA. I KNOW YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THAT IS. SOLEDAD: THERE USED TO BE A THING. >> EXACTLY. AND THE DICTIONARY. WE WOULD HAVE A DAY TO FIGURE OUT OUR POINTS AND THEN DECIDE WHAT WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT AND THEN SHE WOULD PRESENT HER CASE, I WOULD PRESENT MY CASE. AND THEN WE WOULD REBUTTAL EACH OTHER. AND WE HAD TO COME TO A SOLUTION. MOM NEVER, EVER LET US LEAVE WITHOUT COMING TO A SOLUTION. EVEN IF WE AGREED TO DISAGREE. SO I THINK THAT THAT PROBABLY HELPS US IN OUR POLITICAL LIFE RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE DON'T AGREE ON. SO

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How Twin Sisters Ran for Different Parties Without Fighting Each Other

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Updated: 10:43 AM EST Nov 24, 2018

Twin sisters Monica Sparks and Jessica Ann Tyson both ran in the midterm election for different political parties. Sparks won her race, while Tyson did not. Soledad O’Brien sits down with both sisters again to discuss how their mother taught them to fight for their beliefs without fighting each other.